without chapter 4 ! ! !



Interactive Music Systems and Sound and Musical Composition

This thesis proposes a review of the concept of interactive musical system and makes the description of a personal approach for the conception of such systems.

The first part outlines a state of -the -art of new music technology. Some particular aspects of these new technologies are highlighted since, in my opinion they are essential in any current musicological reflection. It clearly appears that the approach of these aspects is crucial to understand the challenges of todayâs sonorous and musical creation.

In addition, an approach based on the construction of a network of elements where the artist is the main actor is presented in this same part. The artist, in view of the many exploratory interactions and having to appropriate a prevailing technology, must make a necessary analysis of these tools that excite his own imagination. I stand up for the idea that the experimental attitude is the most satisfactory position when using these technologies in the artistic field.

In the first part as well, I tackle the constitutive elements of interactive musical systems. To clarify all the mentioned issues, I present six main aspects of interactive musical systems that I consider fundamental: the concept of informatics relay, different paradigms and classifications of interactive musical systems, the differences between interactivity and interaction, the concept of Ultramédia. All these fields support a personal position concerning the conception of IMS, which is based on the idea of an heterogeneous network of objects that preconfigures complex systems that are more than the addition of their parts.

The notion of Ultramédia proposed by Roberto Barbanti is confronted to musical theories of the composer Horacio Vaggione, which are based on the concept of networks of informatics objects. Being well aware that we are here in front of very different but not contradictory approaches, I propose a transposition of the concept of Vaggione to all the elements that constitute the interactive musical systems. It is also here question of showing the musical outreach of Vaggioneâs thought to the application of interactive musical systems.

Several questions are raised in this first part. It is question of determining what is particular to the usage of new technologies and interactive musical systems.

In the second part, I present many personal works that have been made using interactive musical systems. The first part, more theoretical, is the basis from where I try to extort the basic elements of each piece, and appreciate the potential of technological tools not used in merely sonorous or musical contexts.

In the third section, I present a very particular project about interactive musical systems and medical disability within the Provincial Association of Cerebral Palsy of Tarragona (Spain).

A state of-the-art is established preparing to particularities of this context. The project involves the creation and development of applications and interactive activities intended for people with a strong and severe cerebral disability. From my experiences in different artistic contexts, I try to offer interactive activities that are based on the use of a certain technology, especially on the relationship of cause and effect, and I deliberately intend the purpose to a concrete application of notions of the comprehension of physical gesture related to the sonorous one.

Each part of the thesis is completed with a conclusion of circumstance. The whole document ends by successive conclusions where a conclusion of conclusions is presented and where I propose a model for the conception and development of interactive musical systems.



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Keywords: new technologies; interactive musical systems, interactivity, interaction, computer, musical informatics, real time, Max / MSP, Pure Data, disability, cerebral paralysis, interactive applications.

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